Kakutsugawa Castle
Kakatsugawajō, located in Kakatsugawa Township, Okazaki Municipality, is a strange site. Before going I assumed from looking at satellite imagery that it was a yamajiro (mountaintop castle), but it is located in a shaded valley at the foot of a mountain, making it a valley castle; it would’ve served
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History
Kakatsugawajō was the fortified residence of Suganuma Sukejūrō, constructed in the early 16th century; it was attacked and destroyed in the late 16th century along with Koganejō.
Field Notes
Kakatsugawajō, located in Kakatsugawa Township, Okazaki Municipality, is a strange site. Before going I assumed from looking at satellite imagery that it was a yamajiro (mountaintop castle), but it is located in a shaded valley at the foot of a mountain, making it a valley castle; it would’ve served as a fortified residence. The area today has some interesting ruins, but it is unfortunately doubtful that any of them date to the time of the castle. There are ishigaki (stone-piled retaining wall) segments terracing the area, but these are Edo period or later, and were probably used for fields or mulberry groves. The site is now a cedar plantation. Interestingly there are some trenches and embankment ruins around, but they are very small in scale, and oddly configured. One notable berm cuts across the valley, continues with a trench over a small ridge, and also splits off and goes along the side of a ridge. These aren’t castle features, and the most likely explanation is that they were defences made by villagers against encroachment from wild boars. It was interesting to see all this, and I spent a long time looking for landmarks, such as a series of cenotaphs, which now appear to be removed. Eventually I found the anti-boar works for myself after needlessly going up the ridge for some way and coming back down. The site is generally overgrown and I saw a reddish brown snake of a variety I didn’t recognise.
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| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Kakutsugawa Castle |
| Japanese Name | 鹿勝川城 |
| Alternate Names | 加勝川村古城 |
| Founder | Suganuma Sukejūrō |
| Year Founded | Early 16th century |
| Castle Type | Hilltop |
| Castle Condition | Ruins only |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Features | trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Nearest station is Motojuku Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line; Higashi-Okazaki IC |
| Hours | 24/7 free; mountain |
| Time Required | 30 minutes |
| Location | Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 34.90713, 137.3084 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2023 |
| Contributor | ART |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
| Friends of JCastle | |
| Jōkaku Shashin Kiroku | |
